Hertfordshire Constabulary and Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council are delighted to announce that the county will play host to the Knife Angel, in Welwyn Garden City town centre during October 2025.

Our national monument will be used to launch a month-long programme of intensive anti-violence youth engagement events, within Welwyn Hatfield and across the county.

There will be an opening ceremony on 1 October, in Welwyn Garden City Town centre. During October, the force and partners will be running county-wide events, initiatives, competitions. There will also be a knife amnesty to raise awareness and bring about a positive change within communities, especially amongst young people.

Our thought-provoking sculpture was unveiled in Newton Aycliffe in County Durham on June 1st, where an opening ceremony took place directly outside of the Leisure Centre. The ceremony featured speeches, singing, dances and a blessing.

It is the first time the Knife Angel, which began touring the UK in 2018, has been to County Durham, where it spent one month educating and raising awareness around anti-violence and anti-aggression.

Country Durham have gone to extraordinary efforts to support the Knife Angel’s visit, with all schools in the area booked in for an educational visit. This opens up the conversation to 1,000’s of children about the dangers of knife crime.

Our beloved knife angel sculpture safely made its way home to The British Ironworks Centre.

The angel has now travelled to over 50 cities and towns across the United Kingdom, which has broken all previous records over art both travelling so far and addressing millions of people with an anti violence message.

After travelling the nation tirelessly, our majestic sculpture was in need of some care and maintenance, to keep it looking its best. The angel stayed for 6 weeks on its home visit, and was erected after maintenance for visitors to come and see.

At the beginning of December 2024, the Knife Angel made its way across the border into Scotland, for the first time in its existence. It was unveiled in the city of Perth on Monday 2nd December, in a well attended ceremony outside Perth Museum.

Welcoming the Knife Angel to Perth, Councillor Grant Laing, leader of Perth and Kinross Council, said: “Each of those weapons tells a tragic story. Stories that illustrate how violence has, for many people, become normalised.”

Throughout the whole month of December, schools in Perth and Kinross will be visiting the Knife Angel working on projects relating to violence and knife crime. A ‘Book of Reflection’ remembering the victims of knife crime will also be available to sign.

At the welcoming ceremony, Perth and Kinross Provost Xander McDade said: “This is a powerful piece of work conveying an important message and it is a privilege to be the first Scottish city to host it.”

This October, the Knife Angel stands on Oldbury Civic Square next to Sandwell Council House in Oldbury after being officially unveiled in a moving ceremony on Wednesday 2nd October.

Pooja Kanda, the mother of Ronan Kanda delivered an emotional speech about how Ronan’s death had taken happiness away from the family. Ronan, aged 16, was murdered near his home in Wolverhampton after he visited a friend’s house in 2022.

At the ceremony, Sandwell Council Leader Kerrie Carmichael said: “knife-related crime is a concern across the UK, and it is important that we do all we can here in Sandwell to make sure people choose life, not knife”.

Chief Superintendent Kim Madill said,”we’re committed to doing all we can to prevent the devastating consequences which can be caused by carrying a weapon”.

This September 2024, the Knife Angel was located on the market square at Haverhill, Suffolk.

Darryl Barfield, the dad of 16 year old Harley Barfield, campaigned to have the Knife Angel in Haverhill. Harley was a victim of knife crime, and sadly passed away in January 2023 after being stabbed in Haverhill.

Sara Marsh, from Haverhill’s town council, said “the community had been rocked to the core” by the news of Harley’s death, and that the Knife Angel was an opportunity “to look to the future”.

Mr Barfield has made it his life mission to dissuade young people from carrying knifes.

In July 2024 the Knife Angel was located at Victoria Circus, Southend-on-Sea.
During the opening ceremony, several important speeches, musical performances and other creative pieces were performed. At the end of the ceremony, attendees had the opportunity to tie a white ribbon to the fencing around The Knife Angel in unity and hope, and to remember those lost to violent crime.

Alan Richards, executive director for environment and place, says: “As The Knife Angel arrives in our city, I am sure it will serve as a poignant reminder of our collective responsibility to work together to combat violence.”

To coincide with its presence, there was also be a series of workshops looking at the effects of knife crime in schools across the city which were ran by the Connor Brown Trust.

In April 2024, the Knife Angel was situated outside Market House in Taunton.

Adam Fouracre, Stand Against Violence founder, said: “We still have a long way to go to see an end to violence in this country, but it begins with awareness and education – something we can hope the Knife Angel will bring and that we can absolutely support”

In March 2024, the Knife Angel visited Bury, Greater Manchester

Cllr Walmsley said:  “If having this in our town raises awareness and makes people engage more in tackling anti-social behaviour and crime, and knife crime in particular, and if we are able to get through to and speak with young people, then I’m really pleased to have it here. [The Knife Angel] acts as a symbol of what we can achieve has a community and how we can educate young people and move them away from harm and violence.”

Nigel Shields, town centre director, of the Bury BID said: “Part of [the BID] is the community coming into the town centre feel that they are safe, it all culminates in bringing the Knife Angel here, it shows we’ve got a responsibility to a community and the development of that that feeling of being safe.”

In December 2023, the Knife Angel was situated in Gallery Square in Walsall.

In November 2023, the Knife Angel was situated in Bolton, Lancashire.

Bolton Council leader Cllr Nick Peel said that “we have incidents here, as does the rest of the country, and this is a very powerful message to send out that knife crime devastates lives.”

In October 2023, the Knife Angel visited Colchester, Essex.

In September 2023, the Knife Angel was situated in Playhouse Square, Harlow.

In July 2023, the Knife Angel visited Lichfield, Staffordshire.

Cllr Doug Pullen, Leader of Lichfield District Council said: We know that knife crime across the region and nationally is on the increase, so we really want to drive that message home to all of our people here within Litchfield District that we shouldn’t be complacent.”

“Hosting the National Monument Against Violence (Knife Angel), is the single biggest anti-violence initiative ever undertaken within our county of Staffordshire.”- Yvonne James, Principal Community Safety Officer at Lichfield District Council

In June, 2023, the Knife Angel visited Nuneaton in Warwickshire.

Nuneaton offered a month of intense anti-violence education to enlighten the population on the chilling consequences of knife crime.

Sergeant Roy Walker stated: “This is a huge part of our education programme and we hope that it will make people think. The fact that it is made of 100,000 confiscated knives, that it is 100,000 blades that are not on the streets, each one could have saved a life.”

Inspector Kris Shore added: “I am really proud of what was achieved whilst the knife angel was in Nuneaton, and I would like to thank everyone that took the time to visit the statue. This enabled the public to engage and chat with my team and to take a moment to reflect about what is happening within our communities and how they can be involved in making the changes that are required.”

During May 2023 the Knife Angel visited Memorial Square in Crewe, Cheshire.

A representative of Cheshire Constabulary stated that they “will be assisting with community events aimed at educating people about the dangers of knife crime and promoting anti-knife crime messaging.”

Throughout April 2023, the Angel visited Bradford, Yorkshire.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford said: “I’m delighted that Bradford has been chosen and has stepped up to the plate to host The Knife Angel for the next month… The Council is encouraging community groups and faith leaders to come visit the sculpture and take part in the anti-violence month activities.”

Over 12,00 young people from in and around the city were made anti-violence champions. It is our hope that these young people will continue to carry the message of the Knife Angel throughout Yorkshire in the coming months and years.

Guildford Cathedral and other organisations in the city pledged to run a series of events and workshops to raise awareness of violent crime in all its forms during the Knife Angel’s visit.

Detective Superintendent Becky Molyneux of Surrey Police said: “We are pleased to be supporting Guildford Cathedral as they host the Knife Angel this March. We’re committed to tackling serious violence and aggression in our communities and this project will help further important conversations, discussing why people become involved in violent crimes.”

The Angel is last visited Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucester.

The Angel will represent anti-violence education happening in and around Gloucestershire this February, and will offer the whole community a chance to visualise the devastating impact of knife crime.

Fuzz Asghar from Gloucestershire Youth Support Team said: “We make young people aware of carrying a knife, the dangers, the consequences and obviously you could end up in custody or you could die.”

People visiting the statue said they found it thought-provoking: “It’s scary the number of knives there, but then hopefully they’re not out on the streets being used by people causing harm.”

(Quotes From ITV)

The Angel is last visited Stadium MK, Milton Keynes.

The Angel will represented the intense anti-violence education happening within Milton Keynes this December, and offered the young community a chance to visualise the shocking impact of knife crime. Social and educational groups in and around Milton Keynes pledged to undertake a month of activities to bring together schools, places of worship, community groups, and many others.

Deputy Commander for Milton Keynes policing area, Chief Inspector Euan Livingstone states: “The festive season typically brings communities together, therefore we want the arrival of Knife Angel to our city this December to act as a catalyst for encouraging conversation about violence and aggression.”

Newport, Gwent The Angel last visited Friars Walk, Newport (Gwent).

The Angel represented the intense anti-violence education within Gwent, offering the young community a chance to visualise the shocking impact of knife crime. 

At the Knife Angel’s unveiling, Gwent Police Constable Pam Kelly stated: “The sculpture starts conversations about serious crime. We are looking ahead to the future and doing our best to keep communities safe. The knives in the angel have come from our communities, we need far less knives on our streets.”

Wrexham, North Wales The Angel has returned closer to home only 16 miles away from its birthplace in Oswestry, the Knife Angel now resides in Queens Square, Wrexham.The unveiling or launch date is the 7.10.22 and marks the start of 30 days of intense youth anti violence education and engagement. The Angel will represent the intense anti-violence education within Wrexham, offering the young community a chance to visualise the shocking impact of knife crime. Photo Credit: A C Photo Creative

Maidstone, Kent The Angel has returned to the County of Kent for the second visit, it’ll be sited at Light House Church, Maidstone. This is being lead by Maidstone’s Business Improvement District (BID) and encompasses all the towns and areas services and partners. The unveiling or launch date was the 6/9/22 and marked the start of a 30 days of intense youth anti violence education and engagement. Maidstone, has experienced very difficult circumstances surrounding Knife Crime and violence in general and took the very brave decision to lead on this next 30 days of youth activities.

Kirkleatham Museum, Kirkleatham, Redcar TS10 5NW. On display from 2nd August, the Angel is returning to Teesside. Theresa Cave, founder of the Chris Cave Foundation which was set up in memory of her son Chris who was victim to a fatal knife attack, has been instrumental in Redcar hosting the monument, alongside the council and GRAHAM. They plan to hosts events throughout August, ending with a vigil on 31st August.

Town Gates of Birkenhead Park, at the corner of Park Road North and Park Road East, CH41 4HS. Located between Liverpool and Chester, Birkenhead was the 23rd host location of the Knife Angel. On display from 30th June, they organised workshops, events and initiatives throughout July to promote intolerance to violence and aggression in the community. Photo credit: @tomdcpeacock

All Saints Plaza, Northampton, NN1 1DJ & Corporation Street, Corby, NN17 1NJ. The iconic monument was first on display at the All Saints Plaza in Northampton from 30th April to the 13th May, before travelling to Corporation Street in Corby, where it could be visited from 15th May to the 29th May. West Northants Council, North Northants Council and C2C Social Action partnered to create a programme of extensive activities and workshops throughout May to educate the community on the devastation caused by knife crime.

The Spitfire Gallery, Bethesda Street, City Centre, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 3DW. Organised by Staffordshire Police and Stoke on Trent council, in line with their Ditch the Blade campaign, a civic launch event was held on Saturday 2 April to kickstart the hosting. The Knife Angel was on display at the Smithfield throughout April. Stoke on Trent also arranged for two knife banks to be situated in the city, one with the Knife Angel and one located at Hanley Police and Fire station. Photo Credit: jessmarshall89

Worcester Cathedral, 8 College Yard, Worcester WR1 2LA. Worcester is the 18th host of the Knife Angel. With a grand civic unveiling held on 2 March, the monument was on display by Worcester Cathedral throughout the month of March. Organised by Worcester City Council and supported by the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner, with support from Ringway, Worcester undertook activities across the month to raise awareness and educate around the critical message of anti-violence and anti-aggression. Photo Credit: Worcester City Council

Barrow Town Hall, Duke Street, LA14 2LD. The 17th location on the National Youth Anti-Violence Education Programme and Tour, the Knife Angel was on display outside the Barrow Town Hall throughout January 2022. The hosting of the Knife Angel has been arranged and driven by Drop Zone Youth Project and Cumbria Police. Barrow-in-Furness fully embraced the critical message of the Knife Angel by doing their bit to ignite social change throughout their community.

Old Town Hall, Carlisle, CA3 8JE. Carlisle marked the most Northern location the Knife Angel had travelled to so far on is National Youth Anti-Violence Education Programme and Tour.

On display outside the Town Hall in Carlisle city centre, this pivotal location ensured the critical message of the Knife Angel was spread to as many visitors and locals to the city as possible. With a grand unveiling held on the 2 December, Carlisle police force also held intensive educational workshops and activities throughout their 30 day hosting period.

Blackburn Cathedral, Blackburn, BB1 5AA. As the 15th host location, the Angel was on display outside the iconic Blackburn Cathedral. Organised by the Vice Dean of Blackburn Cathedral Canon Missioner Rowena Pailing and her team, Blackburn kick-started their 30 days of intensive educational programme with a peace vigil held on 4 November, where interfaith representatives gave statements and candles were available for those in attendance. Schools across the county took part in workshops and conferences throughout the month.

Rykneld Square, Chesterfield S40 1SB. The Knife Angel was on display in Rykneld Square, near the Crooked Spire church, throughout October. This iconic church was a perfect location for visitors to see the sculpture Previously hosted in Derby in October 2019, Derbyshire Police wanted to host the Angel again following a record high in knife crime in the county. They pulled out all the stops to get the sculpture back as there was a gap in the Tour that perfectly aligned with the two year anniversary of their previous hosting. Chesterfield arranged workshops and community and youth engagement throughout its 30 day hosting period to raise awareness and education around anti-violence and anti-aggression. Photo credit: Photos by Dave Matthews.

Central Park, Chelmsford, CM2 0RW. The 13th location is Central Park in Chelmsford. As one of the oldest parks in Chelmsford, and located right in the centre of the city, this is a wonderful location to host the Angel. We worked closely with Chelmsford City Council and the youth charity Keep It 100 Essex, and the Knife Angel was in Chelmsford until the end of September. Essex are arranging 30 days of intensive educational workshops and youth engagement to run alongside the hosting of the Knife Angel in order to educate about anti-violence and anti-aggression. Knife banks were situated in two city centre locations, as well as a knife bank being situated next to the Knife Angel itself. Photo credit: Keepit100essex

Hereford Cathedral, HR1 2NG. Due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions beginning to ease, the Knife Angel was back out on the road and was proudly stood outside the Hereford Cathedral. The city of Hereford marks the twelfth location to host the National Monument Against Violence and Aggression as part of its National Anti-Violence Tour. For the next 30 days, the Knife Angel will be on display in front of Hereford Cathedral along with a youth conference to identify young peoples needs and issues which they feel have a negative impact on them and their community.